One trip through a country radio station and suddenly it's easy to forget that there was once more to it than just bad rock music and plaid-clad tropes. It's not like country never flashed fits of bravado and excess, but that went hand in hand with a homespun sense of adventure and romance. Even Johnny Cash's Folsom prisoner had more on his mind than his sin. Judging from Reckless Skyline, singer-songwriter Caitlin Canty recognizes that country's missing that old heart.
Reckless Skyline trades in that bombastic nature for something a little more subtle and traditional. Canty, backed by members of The Pretenders and Levon Helm's bands, picks through a softer side of country music, keeping her recordings sparse as she tells the usual tales of broken hearts on tattered sleeves and once-full nights spent alone. That sparseness is what distinguishes Canty from her contemporaries; while mainstream counterparts would aim for large production sounds and vocal loops, Canty never blows it up beyond the hum of guitars and cymbal cracks. Even its skronkiest track, “One Man,” stops with a distorted groove.
That sparseness serves as a double-edged sword, though. Having a series of songs kept to the minimum gives Reckless Skyline its unique charm, but ultimately weighs the album down. There's little electricity to keep the album driving along, stagnating it between light rockers and gentle ballads. A few breaks try to mix things up, like the outlaw scoff “Enough About Hard Times” and the previously mentioned “One Man,” but the album returns to heartwarming-but-flat balladry almost immediately after.
Those lows are easy to overlook though. Reckless Skyline might be a few sparse ballads too long, but Canty levies a knowledge of Americana that shines through and gives Skyline a confident charm. She channels Harvest Moon (quite literally with Neil Young's “Unknown Legend”) just as well as she summons Merle Haggard's echo, breaking through her album's mustier moments with countrified confidence. While calling it “reckless” might be a bit of an exaggeration, the minimalist Reckless Skyline was still a refreshing reminder that, beneath the bro rock braggadocio and pop hooks, country music is a place of heart and soul.
Grade: B-
